Sports Marketing and Entertainment

We were able to catch up with 2008 Olympic all-around gold medal gymnast Nastia Liukin in New York before heading to the Sochi for the Winter Olympics.

Elizabeth Tam (ET): How does it feel to be living in NY?
Nastia Liukin (NL): I love it, it’s a great experience. I think everybody at some point in their life should definitely do it. I started school at NYU, so it’s great to having a structured time lie again, especially after training for about 20 years and the Olympics was such a big part of my life. I’m loving it.

ET: What are you studying at NYU?
NL: I’m study sports management, keeping in the field of the Olympics and gymnastics. Sports business has been such a huge part of my life for so many years, I kind of wanted to learn more about the business aspect of things.

ET: Do you want to be an agent?
NL: Not necessarily, I just wanted to learn more about the business side of it. I just started commentating for NBC, so I want to get more and more into broadcasting, not just gymnastics, but more into sports and lifestyle pieces. That’s kind of what my goals are right now.

ET: How does it feel to be on the other side of competing?
NL: Less stressful for sure, a lot less stressful, but I like it a lot. For me, gymnastics and the Olympics are such a passion for me, so it seems like such a natural fit for me to stay involved with and do the things I love to do, but now on the other side of the field.

ET: What are you looking most forward to at the Olympics?
NL: I’m excited, I was born in Russia, but I’ve never been to Sochi though. I’m kind of excited to go to Sochi and to experience the Winter Olympics. I’ve only been to one Winter Olympics, it was Vancouver – it was great. I feel that it is a little bit more laid back than the summer games, but it’s still the Olympics. There’s such an amount of energy at the Olympic Games and it is incredible!